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• 0:00:08 Kris Murray: Welcome to Child Care Rockstar Radio. I am your host, Kris Murray. Child care leaders around the globe are breaking through challenges, leading the way in innovation, testing new best practices and impacting children and families in a much more powerful and positive way than ever before. Each week, join me for interviews with early childhood leaders and experts that will leave you inspired to become the next next childcare rock star.

   

• 0:00:34 Kris Murray: Now let’s go. This is episode 197 of Childcare Rockstar Radio featuring Nishanta Linson. Welcome back, folks. Welcome to the world of child care success. I am Kris Murray, your host and I’m very excited to have you meet my friend and client, Nishanta Linson today. Nishanta is the owner of Hermes Enchanted Garden in Lower Alabama and you’re going to get to know all about her story and her journey as an entrepreneur and childcare business owner.

   

• 0:01:10 Kris Murray: Before we get there, I want to let you know that today, if you’re listening to this live drop of this episode 197, we are launching the tickets. Ticket sales are officially open. Eagerly awaited for Child Care Success Summit 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Very excited to go back to Hotlanta and bring the summit back to Georgia. We have a beautiful brand new hotel that we’re being hosted at this fall. It’s going to be in October of 2025 and tickets are now available.

   

• 0:01:50 Kris Murray: So go get them while they’re hot, folks. This is the Super Early Bird traditional sale of the down and dirty. Best pricing you’re going to get all year. So go now to childcaresuccesssummit.com and get tickets for under the Super Early Bird deal. And we also have special bonuses available with your ticket purchase. So childcaresuccesssummit.com and I can’t wait to see you this fall in Atlanta. What else we got going on?

   

• 0:02:25 Kris Murray: I want to tell you about Nishanta, special lady who came into my world a couple years ago through coaching in the Childcare Success Academy and then through a different form of coaching. Nishanta has heard me talk about the mindset, spiritual and awakened leadership journey of coaching that I’ve been working with folks on over the last few months or so. It’s a new version of me that’s come out as someone that’s coaching folks in a deeper way in helping you find your true path back to yourself.

   

• 0:03:19 Kris Murray: It’s a soul’s journey along with an entrepreneurial journey. So Nishanta is my first client in that journey and she’s a special lady because she heard me talking about it, and she felt something deep inside that said yes. And we started working together about 13 or 14 weeks ago. So I wanted her to share her story as a child care business owner and leader, of course, but also as somebody who has been doing the work of awakened leadership and awakening back to the next best version, the deeper version, the true love version of herself.

   

• 0:04:03 Kris Murray: So I titled this episode Creating an extended family in her Community because we talk about her leadership style, which is all about family, but also she’s deepening her relationship with herself, which is your most important relationship that you’ll ever have is the one with you. And so I hope that you listen to this episode not just with your business hat on, but with your open hearted, awakened, more soulful self and the one that knows how to trust her process and take a deep dive with me in this episode, learning about Nishanta, her home life and what sets her brand apart and how her mindset has changed over the last couple of years.

   

• 0:05:00 Kris Murray: Awakening to her real, true self, the infinite version of her keys to effective leadership. And talk a little bit about the Energy Bus, which is a must beloved resource, must read resource in this group. Lots of folks on the podcast talk about the Energy Bus. So pick that up if you haven’t. And yeah, just what is so yummy and juicy that’s helping Nishanta go to the next level of her? And so we are three episodes away from 200.

   

• 0:05:39 Kris Murray: We are on the countdown to episode 200 here on this podcast and I’m excited for that. I wanted to give you a little sneak peek. We have a special guest lined up. I’ve actually already done the interview for episode 200 and our guest for that one is Mr. Vernon Mason. So a very beloved and well known speaker, dare I say celebrity in the early childhood space, Someone who built a large brand of multi multiple locations from his mother starting the business. So he’s been in it his whole life and now he’s working on even bigger endeavors and talks about that on episode 200. So that is what we’re counting down to right now and you can look forward to that in a few weeks.

   

• 0:06:32 Kris Murray: For now, let’s focus in here on the podcast at Child Care Rockstar Radio and meet Nishanta, Ms. Nishanta Linson. Enjoy it. Let’s go. Hey folks, welcome back. I’m very excited to introduce you to my guest today, Ms. Nishanta Linson. Nishanta, how are you today?

   

• 0:07:00 Neshanta Linson: Hi, how are you? I’m doing well.

   

• 0:07:03 Kris Murray: Good. Where are you right now?

   

• 0:07:08 Neshanta Linson: I am at Home in lower Alabama, where it’s colder than yesterday. So I think the high may be 70. So I’m not really excited about that because it was in the 80s yesterday.

   

• 0:07:21 Kris Murray: Well, it’s about 15 degrees here, so I’m gonna say that, you know, you’re happy that you’re not here. Where I am in Colorado.

   

• 0:07:29 Neshanta Linson: Yes, that’s the reason why I visit there and not live there.

   

• 0:07:33 Kris Murray: That’s right. Tell us more about your program and the work that you do.

   

• 0:07:42 Neshanta Linson: So my facility is in lower Alabama. We are a boutique school. We started off in my home, and then everybody just kept having babies. So one day we met in my living room and we went from there. And so we’ve been outside of the home now for about six and a half years, and we’re rolling with it. We are a classical influence school where we believe that kids need to be kids. And then you need to add in a little academics. You need to add in academics with it. And once you do that, everything is great.

   

• 0:08:14 Neshanta Linson: We support our families and our family. Families support us. So we are like a. We’re a family and we roll with it.

   

• 0:08:21 Kris Murray: All right, and what is the size of your school? What’s your capacity?

   

• 0:08:27 Neshanta Linson: We have about 60 students.

   

• 0:08:30 Kris Murray: And what is the name of your brand?

   

• 0:08:33 Neshanta Linson: Hermes Enchanted Garden.

   

• 0:08:36 Kris Murray: Hermes Enchanted Garden. Now tell me a little bit more about. That is a very unique name. Yeah, tell me more about the inspiration of Hermes Enchanted Garden and how you differentiate your brand.

   

• 0:08:51 Neshanta Linson: So Hermes Enchanted Garden, the name is going to be real basic when I tell you how we came up with the name. That’s okay. Real basic. So when I lived in Kansas, my kids used to attend a early childhood daycare, and it was named the Enchanted Garden. And she said, you have a knack with kids. Why don’t you just open up a daycare? And I was like, I don’t want to do that. I want a fancy job where I wear heels and put my kids picture on my desk.

   

• 0:09:21 Neshanta Linson: Different plan in life. And so. But my husband and I also had a cloth diaper service in Kansas called Hermes. We’re crunchy, not crazy. Right? When I started to open up my in home daycare, I wanted a name that didn’t sound like a daycare. I wanted to sound like something that you were like, oh, I wonder what that is. And so when I called Ms. Marla, she said, well, why don’t you put Hermes in the Enchanted Garden? The name of my school, once you put it together.

   

• 0:09:55 Neshanta Linson: And now the people can call it Hermes Enchanted Garden or they’ll Call it the hag. And literally now that’s what they call it, the head. And so it’s nothing big. It was just something that just came out. The things that were in my life.

   

• 0:10:10 Kris Murray: Cool. I love that. And it’s very unique and I love that it’s memorable. The hag is cool. It’s got that hip. That hip feeling to it.

   

• 0:10:19 Neshanta Linson: Hip feeling.

   

• 0:10:20 Kris Murray: Yeah.

   

• 0:10:20 Neshanta Linson: Trying to stay fresh.

   

• 0:10:24 Kris Murray: All right. How many employees do you have?

   

• 0:10:29 Neshanta Linson: We have a total of about 17 employees.

   

• 0:10:31 Kris Murray: Okay. And how would you describe your culture at the preschool?

   

• 0:10:40 Neshanta Linson: I would say our culture is laid back, but structure and firm. We believe that kids need to have a balance. I’m a Southerner, and so Southern values really matter to me. And so we want to instill those Southern values into our students. We want them to be well rounded kiddos. And my staff, you know, we support each other. Things are going on in people’s lives and we want to be present for them. And so I think we have cultivated a little small community where they hang out outside of work. They’re becoming real friends and real family.

   

• 0:11:19 Neshanta Linson: And that’s who we are. Family.

   

• 0:11:23 Kris Murray: Love that. Tell us, speaking of family, tell us more about your home life and what you got going on at home. I’m assuming you’re married. Tell us more.

   

• 0:11:34 Neshanta Linson: Yes, I’m married to Randy. We’ve been married for several presidents right now. Because I don’t want to say how old I really am. I am a boy, mom. I have two sons. They both play baseball. And so it is baseball season. So everything now is based on what time, who has to be at what place for what game. One plays in college and one is in high school. And he’s currently a Florida state commit in baseball.

   

• 0:12:00 Neshanta Linson: So we really love baseball.

   

• 0:12:03 Kris Murray: Wow.

   

• 0:12:03 Neshanta Linson: So if you see some bags under my eyes, don’t judge me.

   

• 0:12:07 Kris Murray: Yeah, not at all. I think we all have that at least. Speaking for myself, for sure. And the baseball has you traveling to some cool places. Sometimes. Sometimes you get to go to the Bahamas with the baseball. Right. And some other cool places.

   

• 0:12:22 Neshanta Linson: The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic. So you have to go some really cool places. Boston, Some of some played at Fenway park. And that was a really cool experience.

   

• 0:12:32 Kris Murray: That’s awesome. Love that. What is a fun fact about you that not that many people know.

   

• 0:12:45 Neshanta Linson: Personally? A fun fact is I’m obsessed with folding hot towels. And only a few people at the academy know this, that most of them are in the mafia. I hate going home with dirty clothes. So I will wash my clothes in the hotel room. So, so That I don’t travel with dirty clothes. And so. Yeah.

   

• 0:13:08 Kris Murray: Wow. So you’re a little bit OCD about laundry and folding and clothes and all of that.

   

• 0:13:16 Neshanta Linson: I don’t like folding clothes. I only like folding hot towels on your body when you get out the bathtub. So it’s only towels because my husband’s like, no, she doesn’t like the fold clothes, just the towels.

   

• 0:13:30 Kris Murray: Okay, I need you to back up and tell us about the Mafia, because some people listening to this might think you’re actually referring to the real mafia. So what is the Mafia?

   

• 0:13:44 Neshanta Linson: So the mafia is actually ECE Mafia, which is early childhood educator. We are a group of owners who really support one another and hold each other accountable. You know, outside of the academy, we have full transparency in the Mafia, and they really will put your feet to the flames, like, slack a little bit, and somebody’s there to give you a swift kick in the hiney.

   

• 0:14:10 Kris Murray: And how did it get its name of the Mafia? Just because you guys are all badasses or what?

   

• 0:14:16 Neshanta Linson: I don’t know. Tamina gave us that name. When Tamina gives you a name like the Mafia, you roll with it. That means you must be doing something that you.

   

• 0:14:26 Kris Murray: Right.

   

• 0:14:27 Neshanta Linson: Wants that name. So.

   

• 0:14:28 Kris Murray: Yeah, that’s right. And so how many Mafia members are there? Like six or seven?

   

• 0:14:36 Neshanta Linson: Yeah, it might be eight or nine.

   

• 0:14:38 Kris Murray: Yeah. Okay, cool. And some of you guys own a single location, Some of you own multiple sites, and you’re all around the geo. You’re geographically spread out. But all academy members.

   

• 0:14:48 Neshanta Linson: Yes.

   

• 0:14:49 Kris Murray: Right?

   

• 0:14:49 Neshanta Linson: Yes. Huh.

   

• 0:14:50 Kris Murray: And how long have you been in the child care success Academy?

   

• 0:14:53 Neshanta Linson: This year be my third year. So excited about that. Yeah. This should be my third year.

   

• 0:14:59 Kris Murray: All right. And you’re in the freedom level.

   

• 0:15:01 Neshanta Linson: Yeah, in freedom.

   

• 0:15:04 Kris Murray: Tell us a little bit about.

   

• 0:15:05 Neshanta Linson: You said you’re going to freedom, and I was like, what? Yes. It’s like we’re changing the room, and so, I mean, you gotta move.

   

• 0:15:16 Kris Murray: Well, I like this accountability group. This is cool.

   

• 0:15:19 Neshanta Linson: It’s a.

   

• 0:15:20 Kris Murray: It’s the tribe within the tribe, which happens sometimes. What are some leadership? Well, how have you grown as a leader? Because the freedom track is more focused on systems and scaling up your business and your leadership to the next level. So how has that. How have you shifted as a leader?

   

• 0:15:44 Neshanta Linson: Wow. I don’t even know if I can put it into words. I think once you move up to freedom, you realize that, okay, I can run my center effectively. I can do these things. Now you start putting systems in place so that you can buy back your time when I joined the Academy. I didn’t have a director. I had a team leader. I was still flying by the seat of my pants. And then I started meeting people within the Academy and just started focusing on what they were doing, following my checklist. And now I have a director, a director of curriculum. I have two team leaders. I have an executive assistant. I have a virtual assistant because it allows me to put those systems in place and I’m not having to wear all the hats.

   

• 0:16:34 Neshanta Linson: I can focus on the vision. And once you get it in freedom, in my opinion, it helps you think bigger and broader that you’re not just right there in your facility. You are the facility. Like, your facility can be as big as you would like it, and you can have an impact as much as you would like. That’s my outtake of freedom.

   

• 0:16:54 Kris Murray: Cool. So somebody listening to this that would love to have that support and that help, but she feels like she might not be able to afford it, or she really is stuck and feeling like, I can’t afford to hire a director. I can’t afford to hire an executive assistant or a curriculum director. Like, that sounds fancy. So how do I. How do I go from being the owner director in the school, especially a smaller school, like 60 kids, how do I make that leap to be able to afford that? How did you. How did you do it?

   

• 0:17:31 Neshanta Linson: Well, you have to invest in yourself. And a lot of times I think we don’t invest in ourselves as business owners, and we think, oh, I can’t afford it. So one thing I did was my executive assistant isn’t full time. She’s part time. And so by her being part time, now I have some help and stability. My director is not in a classroom, but my director curriculum is also my bilingual teacher, and she does both hats very well.

   

• 0:18:01 Neshanta Linson: So it’s like putting the right people in the right seats, and. And people love to give more, especially if that’s their gift. And so that’s how I had to think outside the box. Because at first I was looking at people and I saw they had enrollment specials and all these things, and I was like, I don’t know if I can afford that. I don’t know if I can do that, but I have to stop and think outside the box and figure it out.

   

• 0:18:25 Kris Murray: Cool. I love that. How has your mindset changed? I mean, it definitely sounds like your mindset is more expansive, more focused on possibility, and you’ve gone into this just a higher place. Focus more on your vision. So I can feel that in you. But how would you Describe how your mindset has changed before. Like, so from four years ago. Let’s just say take it back to 2021 compared to now.

   

• 0:19:03 Neshanta Linson: I’ve always been a bit driven, and nobody can tell me no if I believe that that’s where I’m supposed to be. So four years ago, Four years ago, I just got into my center that we’re in now, and I was beaten down that year. And when I say beaten down, I was like, I caught Covid, strep, and flu at the same time. I was home with no medicine. My husband looked at me in the eyes and said, please don’t die on me.

   

• 0:19:33 Neshanta Linson: I didn’t work for almost three weeks, and so my team was just like, get better. And I was like, I’m coming, I’m coming. And that’s when life for me changed also. I lost my father unexpectedly at the beginning of the year. I had to abruptly move out my house and buy a new house. The bank called me a money launderer because I was a small business owner. And so with so many things that were going on in 2020, I was broken, I was down, and I almost was thinking about giving up. Well, maybe this isn’t for me, but every time I walk in that center and I saw those kids and those faces and I see their parents, I know they depend on me to make better decisions.

   

• 0:20:13 Neshanta Linson: So I started working with a smaller accountability group, and they helped me to start running the facility like it was a home daycare. And then in 2022, I lucked up, fell into the academy because I. I didn’t even know who Chris Murray was. I didn’t. I came because everybody was talking about the Summit. So I literally thought the academy was called the Summit, and Lisa Nichols was there. And so that’s when I just came in to the academy, and boom, I just started, you know, doing the work. And a lot of times, people, they want the results, but they forget you have to do the work.

   

• 0:20:56 Neshanta Linson: Last year, after I left Summit, I was pumped, but I knew I was missing something, and I needed a change. And then you and I started working together, and that really changed everything for me. Even more so because I worked on that mindset, coaching and realizing some of the mistakes I were making was affecting my business, and so I had to get that in check.

   

• 0:21:26 Kris Murray: Well, I’m really glad that you found the Summit and came because you wanted to hear Lisa Nichols, which I would give Lisa Nichols a huge shout out. I feel like she brought the house down that day in Nashville, and the crowd was Going nuts. My God, it was amazing. It was something to behold. It really, really was. So shout out to Lisa. Love her.

   

• 0:21:50 Neshanta Linson: Thank you, Lisa. You changed my life with the summit, AKA the academy.

   

• 0:21:56 Kris Murray: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And she’s been on the podcast, so I love, love all of that and that you said yes to your feeling, to your calling. Talk a little bit about. Since you did mention working with me separate from the academy, Nishanta is working with me on her mindset in terms of just more of a spiritual path. I’ll say more an awakening to yourself, to the real you as an awakened leader. And so talk a little bit about how that has impacted you a little bit more. Just a little bit more detail about what you’ve.

   

• 0:22:36 Kris Murray: An insight that you’ve gained from that journey.

   

• 0:22:42 Neshanta Linson: I’m trying to capture it in words because the main thing I can say is, whoa. Like, working on wtf? When I started it, I did feel like, what the shenanigans is going on in my life. And now I understand that. The wisdom, the truth, the freedom, understanding how to put my ego in check.

   

• 0:23:08 Kris Murray: Yeah.

   

• 0:23:08 Neshanta Linson: And realize that if I’m looking in for acceptance, approval, and these other things, that am I being the best version of myself? And I wasn’t. And I could see those mistakes I were making in my life and in my school. And so when we started working through that, I realized real love just is and being authentic, which is something that I do professionally. Being authentic is a way to be. And a lot of times that ego gets in the way of that. And so you have to check yourself and the roles that you play in your shenanigans when that ego comes to play, and then just realize that life just is.

   

• 0:23:53 Neshanta Linson: And you have to realize life is about duality. But you could. You want to be balanced. I mean, I know in the work we do, we talk about it being an empty cup, but I came to you saying, I want to be lukewarm because my husband says I’m either hot or cold, and I want to be lukewarm. And he was like, like, let’s start with this empty cup. And once I realized being lukewarm, I’m not too high, I’m not too low. I just am. And I have to deal with the is, as you would say of it all.

   

• 0:24:23 Kris Murray: Cool. Thanks for sharing that. It’s been. It’s been awesome working with you on this, this. This journey, this part of coming back to the real you or coming back to a place where you’re just neutral, you’re not triggered, you’re not up, you’re not down. You’re just in that neutrality or just like I call sometimes it’s like just for a blissful feeling, like happy for no reason or just blissed out and present.

   

• 0:24:57 Kris Murray: It’s really. Yeah. Journey of presence. So I love that. Thank you for sharing that. And with regard to your parents, you are a servant leader. You love helping parents. You love being of service. And so talk a little bit more about that. How. How does that tap into your heart? How does that make. Why is that such a powerful thing for you? Or part of your unique brilliance is that helping parents piece? Just talk more about that.

   

• 0:25:36 Neshanta Linson: I am formally a home. Well, I formally and currently a homeschooling mom. So I homeschooled my children until they went to middle school. And I knew that when I put them in school. One thing as a parent you need is peace of mind. And if you don’t have peace of mind, you can’t be effective at your job. And a lot of my parents work in the medical field. They do a lot of things. And I don’t want them, you know, I don’t want the nurse anesthetists or the physicians to be worrying about their children while they working on saving someone’s life.

   

• 0:26:15 Neshanta Linson: And so that is one of the things that I take to heart is that I’m going to show up for them every single day. When that first time mom walks in and she’s crying, like being there for her, holding the space for her, saying, it’s okay, it is okay. And I think that’s one of our unique brilliance is holding space for parents to be parents, holding space for dads to be dads, where dads can be involved in their children’s life and it’s okay and moms don’t have to feel guilty for going to work.

   

• 0:26:51 Neshanta Linson: So that we don’t use in our facility, we don’t use like televisions and things like that. And we go outside, we play, we bring things, we use pencil and paper, you know, and doing those simple things allow these parents when they go home. If you need your child to watch 30 minutes on the iPad so you can shower, then you can do that because they’re not already overstimulated. So for me, I want my parents to have peace of mind.

   

• 0:27:18 Neshanta Linson: And we do our meet and greets. Most people call them tours, but we do it as a meet and greet. We talk about, I have to trust you, you have to trust me. And that communication is top. If I’m going to have your legacy like Your child is not your child. Your child is your legacy for the future. We have to be able to trust and collaborate together. And so that’s one of the reasons why I treat them the way I would like to be treated.

   

• 0:27:46 Kris Murray: So that’s powerful. And I, and I want to hear more about the meet and greet concept. You don’t call it a tour. You are you actually having people come and you’re doing more like small group tours where you’re touring them as several moms or dads might show up like, yeah, okay, so it is still, it’s still solo.

   

• 0:28:08 Neshanta Linson: Go ahead. It’s a one on one opportunity because if we’re family, I’m not hurting you in, you know, the only time in my family we hurt when we in the line to get food at a big event or something. So I want to come in and we spend, I spend that time talking to the parents. I want to find out what their quirks are. I want to find out what is it that they want for their child and can we beat that need?

   

• 0:28:33 Neshanta Linson: You know, sometimes parents, you know, you think I want my kid to be better? Da da da da da da. Okay, can we meet your need? Can we meet you where you are and are you open to what we have to offer? If not, that’s okay. There’s a center for you. And so I think investing in that time in the beginning, you, you build a relationship with the family, the relationship with the parents and that goes on to building relationship with grandparents. We have such a strong grandparent group like those grandparents. They are ride or die for sure for not only the teachers and the school, school in the center, but for their own children and grandchildren. So I just really believe in that. Meet and greet is 101.

   

• 0:29:16 Neshanta Linson: I mean we take 30, we take 45 minutes just to have a conversation to see what it is. What do you want? Because if you’re walking in and say, I just want to know how much it cost. Okay. In the climate that we’re in, if something, if that teacher is willing to give her life for your child, are you willing to help her family later on if she’s going to give her life for you? So those are things that we do.

   

• 0:29:41 Kris Murray: So that’s a different approach than a lot of schools are taking. I, what I hear in you is that you, I mean you’re really cultivating a true community with your program. It is a true family, a work family and a, and a care, care family. You’re probably pretty full. I would guess you’re pretty fully Enrolled because of this approach?

   

• 0:30:08 Neshanta Linson: Yes.

   

• 0:30:09 Kris Murray: And don’t have to do a lot of marketing because you have really good word of mouth. So you just have this really great interconnected relationship building approach that I think is probably serving your business really well.

   

• 0:30:23 Neshanta Linson: Yes. I mean, I believe your word means something. Right now we all sit behind computers and so right now if a family says, this is my best friend since the third grade. Can you help her? I’m going to move heaven, earth, mountains, planets to help her. Because your word means something.

   

• 0:30:46 Kris Murray: Is there. Have there been any times when you have helped overly or like sometimes people might take advantage because. Because you’re such a giver and you’re a servant leader. Some people may take advantage of that. Have you had experiences where you’ve had to put boundaries in place with parents so that you don’t find yourself giving too much?

   

• 0:31:15 Neshanta Linson: Yes. And then I have parents also telling me, you have permission to let them go. Nishanta, you know you have permission. I mean, we go to our students birthday parties and I remember like someone said something and the mom couldn’t handle it. And guess who handled it? Grandma. Grandma came in here. Of course she doesn’t go by grandma, but she went in there and she handled it. Sometimes I give and give and when I have to let that student go, it hurts.

   

• 0:31:52 Neshanta Linson: It hurts because a part of my family has left, but they didn’t see me that way. So I have to be mindful now on who I give that to. Because not only am I giving, my team is giving like they’re giving, they’re showing up to the birthday parties. I mean, we’re more popular than Elsa when we go to birthday parties, but we, we give. And so I, through our time together, I have been working on having boundaries so that I don’t give to the wrong person.

   

• 0:32:27 Kris Murray: What kind of family events do you do? Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day as we’re recording this. And then you’re doing a parent nights out. Today’s parents want experiences for their child and for themselves. They want that sense of community even more so than parents 10, 10 or 15 years ago. It’s really driven by experiences and that extended family feeling. That’s what today’s parents are really, that’s what’s really driving enrollment right now, by the way, because we’ve done some studies on looking at all the clients that we have that are full and, or close to full.

   

• 0:33:08 Kris Murray: And that’s. It’s driven by experiences for children and parents and for community for that extended family experience for parents. So you’re and you’re nailing it. You’re nailing it 110. So, yeah. Tell us more about any kind of special family events or experiences for kids or things that you’re doing, enrichments, etc.

   

• 0:33:30 Neshanta Linson: Well, we do a mom’s night out. A couple moms work on getting that together and they really enjoyed that. Sometimes I try to get to them, but if it’s baseball season, of course I’m not able to. We’re gonna work on dads, but the dad’s gotta get their life together so we can get an event or something like a golf tournament or something for them.

   

• 0:33:51 Kris Murray: Right.

   

• 0:33:51 Neshanta Linson: I just really believe when parents have that support, that in return is supporting the teacher in the classroom because the child have what their needs. So those are the two big things that we do. We have a private Facebook group where parents can chit chat and you’re not worrying about like, oh, is somebody else going to see that? No, everybody’s going through the same thing. So whether they are like, hey, I have this extra stroller. Do you? Who needs it?

   

• 0:34:17 Neshanta Linson: It’s just that sense of community. You’re there to help one another and that’s what the private group does. We put in polls like, hey, do you guys want, you know, X, Y and Z? When it snowed here?

   

• 0:34:32 Kris Murray: Yes.

   

• 0:34:33 Neshanta Linson: And we had to wait for the Lord to melt the snow in south Alabama. It was a really, it was a beautiful experience. But it did, you know, caused me to have to peel another layer and do some work. But during that time, parents were posting the kids playing in the snow and it was so beautiful to share that moment. And we got to share it together because we were all at home enjoying the snow, not having the right. Having hurricane snacks and not real snacks for the snow. You know, we just don’t get snow here. So it was really nice watching everybody in the snow. It was beautiful. And so they could connect that way as well.

   

• 0:35:18 Kris Murray: So with regards to the snow event, most of the Southeast was shut down for three days because again, you don’t have plows, you don’t have any preparation for this type of an event. And that’s when your, you have to just let go of control because you can’t control. And so you might be in the house for a couple days and your center’s closed and everybody’s kind of freaking out and they’re like, well, what am I supposed to do?

   

• 0:35:47 Kris Murray: And I will share that. Coach Jabarian shared when we were together at our mastermind last week that one of her moms called her in from Atlanta and said, well, what am I supposed to do? And she goes, well, what do you mean, what are you supposed to do? Like, we’re all in that. We’re all at home. We don’t have. There’s nothing we can do. And she said, well, my children don’t have anything to eat. I don’t have, I don’t have any. I haven’t been able to give them any food for the last 24 hours. What am I supposed to do?

   

• 0:36:19 Neshanta Linson: Wow.

   

• 0:36:20 Kris Murray: Yeah. And we all, the entire room did had that reaction. Whoa. So there’s a lot of people out there. We’re not walking in their shoes. We have no idea what they’re facing. And so I just feel very blessed to be a conduit to help child care leaders stand up and just be there for their parents as much as they can. But in those kinds of weather events, it, you know, it becomes a crisis. Even though it’s a three day crisis, it’s a crisis. And you, you, you were a little bit triggered. You said you had to peel another layer.

   

• 0:36:58 Neshanta Linson: Yes.

   

• 0:37:00 Kris Murray: So, yeah, just. I guess I just wanted to share that for the audience because things happen and when we can have resources. I just interviewed someone for the podcast. It was Michelle Masjeti about the fires in L. A and what they did to all band together and created a GoFundMe. So there’s people all across this nation that are doing amazing things for each other and for families. You’re part of that. But yeah, it’s.

   

• 0:37:27 Kris Murray: Sitting home for three days with your.

   

• 0:37:28 Neshanta Linson: Boys was challenging and rewarding at the same time. Yeah, it was very nice to see that. My 3 year olds and my 17 year old was all eating snow and living their best life. So.

   

• 0:37:46 Kris Murray: Have they seen snow before? Is this their first time?

   

• 0:37:50 Neshanta Linson: Like, we lived in Kansas for a while, but they were little.

   

• 0:37:53 Kris Murray: Okay.

   

• 0:37:54 Neshanta Linson: And so not to this in intensity, I mean, we’ve been skiing. But to have it in your own backyard, to have it in your own. In their batting cage. There’s snow in the batting cage. I’m like, oh my gosh, there’s snow in the bag. Never. So for most people down here, this was their first time seeing snow white. This. So it was really unique to hear the stories of people who are in their 30s and never seen snow.

   

• 0:38:27 Kris Murray: Yeah, that’s cool. That’s cool. It is beautiful. All right, well, we are out of time. We’re closing down the podcast here. But I want to thank you, Nishanta, and I want to ask you if you want to Share any resources, books, things that have been impactful for you either inside of ece, outside of ece, if you want to share anything for the listeners, things that have impacted you in your life.

   

• 0:38:55 Neshanta Linson: Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. It’s been such a pleasure to share this moment with you. One of the books that I really enjoy is the Energy Bus. It is a great book. It’s an easy read, and it’s things that you can put in place today. And so reading that book has really shifted my mindset and allow me the ability, if you want to be a great culture, you got to cultivate great energy.

   

• 0:39:25 Neshanta Linson: So it’s something that I really value. That’s a good book.

   

• 0:39:31 Kris Murray: And the work that we’ve been doing is really all about energy.

   

• 0:39:34 Neshanta Linson: Yes. So, yes, this cool network right there has, like, changed everything for me as well, because you are allowing yourself the freedom to accept things the way they are and not trying to manipulate it to be something that you think it is. You could just be present. So I highly recommend people, like, really, you know, take a moment if they can get in with you to do it, because it is the best investment you can make on yourself.

   

• 0:40:06 Kris Murray: Well, thank you. Appreciate that. Yeah. The whole realization that you don’t really need to fix, improve, or change anything. All you need to do is accept it. And it can be so exhausting having to run around trying to be the fixer all the time. So it’s really releasing that feeling that you have to go around fixing everybody in your life and just let them. Let them be. Let them. Just let them be. That’s cool.

   

• 0:40:37 Kris Murray: How can people learn more about your program, the Hag? Is there a website? How can people learn more?

   

• 0:40:43 Neshanta Linson: Yeah, you can go to Hermes enchanted garden.com or check us out on Instagram at Hermes Enchanted Garden at RPC and learn. You can see all of our little kiddos on there. You can see a little bit about. A little bit about what we do. Yeah. So check us out on social media. We’re on Facebook too, but I know a lot of people like me. We like Instagram, but go ahead on and check us out. Hermes Intention Garland rpc.

   

• 0:41:10 Kris Murray: Very good. Well, thank you so much, Nashanta. I really think that you’re awesome and amazing and I’ve been loving getting to know you in a deep way. So thanks for being on the podcast today and sharing your story. Appreciate you.

   

• 0:41:27 Neshanta Linson: All right, thank you so much for having me.

   

• 0:41:30 Kris Murray: All right, thanks, everybody for being here and we’ll see you all next time. Take care and God bless. Bye Bye. I hope you liked this episode of Child Care Rockstar Radio. If you did, please leave a review and share it with someone you know to help spread the word to friends in our industry and on social media. Child care business success is my passion and I’m honored to be on this journey with you.

   

• 0:41:56 Kris Murray: As a thank you for listening, I’ve got a new video training that shows you how to add six figures or more of new revenue to your program in the next 60 days by improving your hiring and your enrollment systems. To watch my new video, just go to www.fixmyschool.com. that’s fixmyschool.com thanks. Take care and God.